Product support engaged in the inwardly-turned lips of a channel member



V. FORTUNATO PRODUCT SUPPORT ENGAGED IN THE INWARDLY-TURNED Nov. 29, 1966 3,288,414

LIPS OF A CHANNEL MEMBER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 20, 1965 VINCENT FORTUN nTo INVENTOR HTTOR EVS Nov. 29, 19 v. FORTUNATO 3,288,414

PRODUCT SUPPORT ENGAGED IN THE INWARDLY- I'URNED LIPS OF A CHANNEL MEMBER Filed April 20, 1965 5 Sheets$heet 2 INVENTOR. VINCENT FORTUNATO BY y 1 HTTORNEVS 3,288,414 TURNED Nov. 29, 1966 v. FORTUNATO PRODUCT SUPPORT ENGAGED IN THE INWARDLY LIPS OF A CHANNEL MEMBER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 20, 1965 Tiijll ZNVENTOR. VINCENT FoRTuNATo ATTOR EYS PRODUCT SUPPORT ENGAGED IN THE IN- WARDLY-TURNED LIPS OF A CHANNEL MEMBER Vincent Fortunate, Valley Stream, N.Y., assignor to Henschel-Steinau (30., Palisades Park, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 449,456 14 Claims. (Cl. 248--223) My invention relates to product supports which are engaged in the inwardly-turned lips of a channel member and in particular to those product supports which fit into the price channel members on store shelves and serve to project the product forward of the shelf.

There are many supports which are provided with clamps and shelf extenders which attach to the shelf or to the price channel member on the front edge of the shelf. Most of those which engage the price channel member are used either tosupport an attention attracting flag or are not easily removed from one position and relocated in another position. Some of these prior art supports use clamps having a locking screw or similar device to hold the support to the shelf or the price channel member. For a long time, a need has existed for a support which will support product as well as an attention attracting flag and which may be easily inserted and removed from the price channel member. Moreover, there has been a need to provide such a support for use as a dispensing bin.

In these days of large supermarkets in which impulse buying represents an important part of the sales volume, it is important to thrust certain merchandise outward from the shelf and toward the customer. Many devices have been used to accomplish this purpose but none of them has permitted the store owner sufiicient flexibility coupled with low cost and attractive displays.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the invention to provide a product support which engages the inwardlyturned lips of a price channel member.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a product support which may be easily installed in and removed from the price channel member.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide such a product support which will support a dispensing bin.

These and other objects, advantages, features and uses will be apparent during the course of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of one form of product support of the invention and a shelf with a price channel member affixed thereto, showing the relationship between the price channel member and the product support;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view showing the product support of FIGURE I inserted in the price channel member;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on lines 33 of FIGURE 2, viewed in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a view in perspective of a slightly modified form of product support of the invention;

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of a further modification of product support of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a view in perspective of the embodiment of FIGURES 5 and 6 applied to a product dispenser;

FIGURE 8 is a top view of the product support of FIG- URE 7, viewed in the direction of the arrow 8 of FIG- URE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a view in perspective of a slightly modified form of product support of the invention;

FIGURES l0 and 11 are perspective views of the prod- Unitcd States Patent Ofiiice 3,288,4l4 Patented Nov. 29, 1966 uct support of FIGURE 9 applied to two different types of product dispensers; and

FIGURE 12 is a perspective view of a modified version of the product support of FIGURE 9 applied to a differently disposed product dispenser.

In the drawings, wherein, for the purpose of illustration, are shown various embodiments of the invention, the numeral 20 designate a product support of the invention, generally. Product support 20 comprises continuous element 22 which is turned back on itself to form midsection 24 which is preferably provided with lugs 25 and arms 26 whose ends 23 are close to each other. Continuous element 22 is turned back so that arms 26 and midsection 24 are in the same plane and so that the distance between arms 26 and midsection 24 is greater than the distance between the inwardly-turned lips 30 of price channel 32.

Price channel member 32 is suitably afiixed to shelf 34. Product support 20 is placed in the price channel mem ber 32 by placing arms 26 under one of the inwardlyturned lips 30 and then forcing midsection 24 toward arms 26 so as to engage the other inwardly-turned lip 30 (FIGURES 2 and 3). The spring tension of continuous element 22 produces an outward thrust of the arms 26 and holds the product support tightly in position in the channel member.

Product on slotted cards may be slid on holder 36 which is welded or otherwise suitably affixed to midsection 24 at points 38. Product support 4-0 of FIGURE 4 is the same as product support 20 except that it is provided with a single holder 42 which is welded or suitably affixed to midsection 24 at point 44. Holder 42 is normally used to display product on cards which have a single hole and are slid onto the holder.

The product supports 20 and 40 are removed from the price channel member 32 by exerting downward pres sure to further shorten the distance between midsection 24 and arms 26 and midsection 24 is disengaged from the upper inwardly-turned lip. Then, it is easy to lift the unit out of the lower inwardly-turned lip.

Product support 50 (FIGURES 58) comprises continuous element 23, midsection 24, arms 26 with ends 28, extremities 52 and thin resilient strips 54 and 56. Strip 54 is welded or suitably atfixed to midsection 24 and strips 56 are welded to or suitably affixed to arms 26. Extremities 52 are bent out of the plane of midsection 24 and arms 26 so that they can enter slots 58 in dispenser 60. The combination of product support 50 and dispenser 60 is inserted in a price channel member by placing strips 56 in engagement wtih the lower inwardly-turned lip of the channel member and forcing strip 54 into engagement with the upper inwardly-turned lip of the channel member.

Thus, the product is securely and removably supported forward of the shelf and is thrust before the store customers as they wend their way through the aisles.

In FIGURE 9, there is illustrated a further modification of the invention in which product holder 64 is a continu ous element which is welded or otherwise suitably affixed to midsection 24 at points 66. The plane of product holder 66 is substantially parallel to the plane of continu' ous element 22. Holder 64 is shaped so as to fit into slot 68 of compartment 70 (FIGURE 10) or slot 69 of compartment 71 (FIGURE 11). The product supports of FIGURES 10 and 11 are inserted in the price channel member as described earlier in this specification.

The product support of FIGURE 12 is similar to that of FIGURES 911 except that holder 72 which is afiixed to midsection 24 at points 73 by welding or otherwise is canted so that it lies in a plane which intersects the plane of continuous element 22. Holder 72 is fitted into slot 74 of dispenser 76 which because of the canting of holder 72 is directed back toward the shelf when the continuous element 22 is inserted in the price channel member as described earlier.

While I have disclosed my invention in relation to specific examples and in specific embodiments, I do not wish to be limited thereto, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A product support for engaging the inwardly-turned lips of a channel member having at least two such inwardly-turned lips comprising:

a continuous element turned back on itself so as to form a midsection and two arms;

the two arms having their ends adjacent each other and being in the same plane and projecting from the midsection a distance greater than the distance between the first and second inwardly-turned lips of the channel member;

the midsection engaging the first inwardly-turned lips of the channel member;

the arms adjacent the ends of the continuous element being forced into spring engagement with the second inwardly-turned lip of the channel; and

means for supporting a product affixed to the continuous member and projecting therefrom.

2. A product support as described in claim 1 wherein the means for supporting a product is affixed to the midsection of the continuous element and projects outwardly therefrom by an angle of about 90.

3. A product support as described in claim 2 including at least one lug affixed to the midsection projecting outwardly in a direction away from the two arms to facilitate engagement with the first inwardly-turned lip of the channel member.

4. A product support as described in claim 1 including at least one lug afilxed to the midsection projecting outwardly in a direction away from the two arms to facilitate engagement with the first inwardly-turned lip of the channel member.

5. A product support as described in claim 1 wherein a thin resilient strip for engaging the first inwardly-turned lip of the channel is afiixed to the midsection of the continuous element and a pair of thin resilient strips are affixed to each arm of the continuous element adjacent the ends thereof for engaging the other inwardly-turned lip of the channel.

6. A product support as described in claim 5 wherein the extremities of the continuous element are bent out of the plane of the midsection and arms and parallel thereto and the means for supporting a product is a receptacle having slits therein to receive the extremities of the continuou element.

7. A product support as described in claim 1 wherein the extremities of the continuous element are bent out of the plane of the midsection and arms and parallel thereto and the means for supporting a product is a receptacle having slits therein to receive the extremities of the continuous element.

8. A product support as described in claim 7 including at least one lug affixed to the midsection projecting outwardly in a direction away from the two arms to facilitate engagement with the first inwardly-turned lip of the channel member.

9. A product support as described in claim 1 wherein the means for supporting a product comprises a second continuous element bent back on itself in a second plane and which is affixed to the midsection of the continuous element so as to project upward therefrom.

10. A product support as described in claim 9 including a receptacle having a slit therein for receiving the means for supporting a product.

11. A product support as described in claim 10 wherein the plane of the means for supporting a product is parallel. to the plane of the continuous element.

12. A product support as described in claim 10 wherein the plane of the means for supporting a product intersects the plane of the continuous element.

13. A product support as described in claim 9 wherein the plane of the means for supporting a product is parallel to the plane of the continuous element.

14. A product support as described in claim 9 wherein the plane of the means for supporting a product intersects the plane of the continuous element.

References Cited by the Examiner Snediker 40-10 CLAUDE A. LEROY, Primary Examiner.

J. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PRODUCT SUPPORT FOR ENGAGING THE INWARDLY-TURNED LIPS OF A CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST TWO SUCH INWARDLY-TURNED LIPS COMPRISING: A CONTINUOUS ELEMENT TURNED BACK ON ITSELF SO AS TO FORM A MIDSECTION AND TWO ARMS; THE TWO ARMS HAVING THEIR ENDS ADJACENT EACH OTHER AND BEING IN THE SAME PLANE AND PROJECTING FROM THE MIDSECTION A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND INWARDLY-TURNED LIPS OF THE CHANNEL MEMBER; THE MIDSECTION ENGAGING THE FIRST INWARDLY-TURNED LIPS OF THE CHANNEL MEMBER; THE ARMS ADAJCENT THE ENDS OF THE CONTINUOUS ELEMENT BEING FORCED INTO SPRING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SECOND INWARDLY-TURNED LIP TO THE CHANNEL; AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A PRODUCT AFFIXED TO THE CONTINUOUS MEMBER AND PROJECTING THEREFROM. 